Each year First Baptist Church elects twelve men to serve as deacons for a two year period. These twelve men join the previous twelve elected to make up the deacon body of First Baptist Church.
At FBC deacons have the responsibility to jealousy guard the unity of the church and lead it to health. Deacons contact new attendees, visit the homebound and in hospitals, and help minister in crisis situations. The deacons are men of prayer and good works.
Why deacons? Why not some other form of leadership that seems to work adequately for other Christian groups. I do not wish to denigrate the traditions and decisions of others, but I do want to lay out the case for deacons in the church. In the New Testament, two groups make up the leadership of the church: pastor/teachers and deacons. Phil. 1:1 makes that clear in the church at Philippi, a very healthy church that seems to fit the norm in the New Testament. Paul addressed his letter “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.” The word for “deacons” here and in other New Testament passages is a word that has the idea of a “bond-slave” or “servant.” Paul wrote to all the saints with particular emphasis to bishops (pastors) and deacons. The plain implication seems to be that these were the main leaders of the church.
Paul’s call for deacons of character and honor suggests the importance of deacons in the leadership of the church (1 Tim. 3:8-13). These are men with healthy families and strong character. They are men who can take a stand (not double-tongued) and who have been tested under fire and proven worthy.
Why have some churches turned from deacons to other forms of lay leadership? While I can’t answer for every church or pastor, my observation is that they are reacting against the “unbiblical” function of deacons in the church. Among many churches, deacons often serve as a group who “keeps the pastor in line,” a very unscriptural understanding of deacons. This has led many pastors to look for a better way to lead the church.
Another reason for turning away from the biblical model is the number of times that deacons and pastors appear to be in competition, trying to see who really has the power in the church. We don’t need to scrap deacons, but we do need a new attitude about service and ministry.
Let us move from the unhealthy patterns to those that bless the church. Pastors, deacons, and all the saints should look carefully at the words of Paul and Timothy to the church at Philippi. Paul and Timothy called themselves “slaves of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:1). We would do well to remember that not one of us has been called to “lord it over” the church, but we have been called to serve as servants of Christ.
The way many churches have functioned should not lead us away from a biblical model. Instead, we should be fully embracing the teaching of Scripture. In the New Testament, deacons and pastors work alongside one another. Deacons work to care for the congregation (if Acts 6:1-7 refers to deacons) and assist and aid pastors. We should be teaching the intent of Scripture and pointing to healthy models of ministry and leadership.
Our goal should be a biblical model that accepts all of Scripture. Pastor/teachers and deacons should all serve under the Lordship of the Master Teacher. All should accept the example of Christ who emptied himself, took on the form of a servant, humbled himself, and became obedient unto death (Phil. 2:7-8). Like the fruit of the Spirit, “against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:23).
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